Winton Woods football star Justin Hill announces verbal commitment to college

FOREST PARK, Ohio — Winton Woods senior linebacker and edge rusher Justin Hill announced Wednesday afternoon that he has verbally committed to the University of Alabama.

Hill, a four-star player, made the highly anticipated announcement on his 17th birthday in the Winton Woods High School gymnasium in front of family, friends and coaches.

“I’m blessed, but I just take it all in,” Hill said after his verbal commitment. “All these people, man, that I love and who love me, came out here to see me. … They just want the best for me.”

Hill told WCPO 9 he made his decision Tuesday night and informed Alabama outside linebackers coach Christian Robinson of his choice Wednesday morning. Hill said he spoke with Robinson and he was the only coach he told about his decision.

“I really made my decision last night,” Hill said. “I was alone in my room trying to figure out what was right, what I needed to excel.”

Hill, ranked as Ohio’s No. 4 player in the 2025 class by 247Sports and the nation’s No. 7 edge rusher, narrowed his choices to Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon and the University of Southern California as finalists. He took official visits to all four programs in June.

A large crowd waited patiently Wednesday afternoon for Hill’s decision at the scheduled ceremony.

Hill said he felt blessed to be able to attend such a ceremony in front of family, friends and supporters. He was emotional at times as he spoke to the audience.

A large group of journalists asked him questions after the ceremony.

“I grew up being an Ohio State fan,” Hill said. “My family are Ohio State fans and they want me to go to Ohio State, but they love me because they don’t care where I want to go. They just know it’s great for me and they want the best for me.”

Hill, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 230 pounds, has impressed college coaches throughout a recruiting journey that has earned him nearly 30 scholarship offers since October 2021.

Cameras, microphones and phones filmed the entire ceremony Wednesday afternoon. Photos were taken and memories were made.

“What an absolutely incredible day,” Winton Woods coach Chad Murphy told the crowd. “Justin is, first and foremost, a phenomenal kid. Everybody sees these caps here and all these Power Five schools see all these big highlights and this and that. But it’s incredible what we’ve seen here every day for the last four years, is a guy who continues to keep his head down, stay humble and be one of the hardest workers in the room. And to me, as a coach, that speaks volumes about who he is as a person.”

Hill, a Division II first-team All-State selection as a junior, spoke with WCPO 9 Sports this spring about the impact of name, image and likeness (NIL) on his recruiting journey.

“I just feel like I’ve tried to absorb it all and become mature enough to be able to understand these things,” Hill said this spring. “I understand that when I visit people and meet them, it’s a job. And it’s not something you can be childish about.”

Winton Woods, which went 8-4 in 2023, opens the season against 2023 Division I state runner-up Springfield on Aug. 23.

Hill is eligible to sign his national letter of intent on Dec. 4.

Murphy said Hill will certainly have a significant impact on this year’s Winton Woods team as it moves up to Division I this season.

“What’s interesting about this guy is he’s not only one of the best football players in the United States of America, he’s one of the best human beings in the United States of America,” Murphy said.

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